Hast Thou Left Asgard With Thy Mittens?

Hello, and welcome to episode 203 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

This week, we're diving back into the world of Marvel Two-in-One. Issue 9 poses the question: Just how wrong can a children's puppet show go? Well, if the puppeteer is the inevitably-revealed Puppet Master, and Thor's nearby for reasons of editorial mandate, then it can go pretty wrong!

Joining us for this episode is podcaster, critic and actual Man of Words, Alasdair Stuart. Together, we get intimate with detergent, we join Ben, Donnie Wahlberg, and Daria on Broadway, and we answer that all-important question: If there are no sausages, why should there be puppet shows?

Your Mother's Moustache

Hello, and welcome to episode 202 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

It's the beginning of the end for Medusa, as our coverage of Fantastic Four #158 marks her penultimate issue as a member of the team. Fittingly, the title rejoins the Inhumans. Less fittingly, Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott drag up a near-forgotten villain from the earliest days of Strange Tales to provide some threat. And a giant horn.

As well as all of this, Johnny goes to a singles bar, Reed is a colossal ass, Sue first with being a PI, Ben goes to the opera, Medusa does nothing of interest at all, and we meet the ultimate mashup of villains whose names are spurious acronyms - QuasiMODOK!

All this, and... we encounter the very first Hostess Fruit Pies advert!

Idaho's Most Haunted

Hello, and welcome to episode 201 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

We kick off our third century by looking at the perennially underwhelming Marvel Team-Up. Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan, is the special guest star, bringing his expertly-defined powers to this semi-sequel to Marvel Two-in-One #8. Will Wyatt Wingfoot get any lines? Will the writer remember the name of his tribe and where their reservation is? And will the villain turn out to be even worse than the Miracle Man? Only Gerry Conway, Sal Buscema, and Vince Coletta can tell us.

Elsewhere, Steve and Andy are changing up their format to give more time to these four-colour masterpieces, Steve's friends are chilling with George Takei, and there's a bit too much musing about the contents of an obscure Marvel Essential collection.

Hello, and welcome to episode 200 (yes, 200) of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

For our giant-size anniversary special, we're taking a look at Fantastic Four #157, the conclusion to the latest Doctor Doom/Silver Surfer storyline. The Doomsman returns, the Surfer gets a snog, the truth about Shalla-Bal is revealed, and revealed again, and someone's playing a much bigger game than the Fantastic Four realise. Roy Thomas, Len Wein, Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott welcome the coming of the Endeth, whatever that is.

Following this, we take a very deep dive into our mailbag, stuffed full of listener questions. We wonder about which version of the films deserve to continue, who Johnny's least-terrible girlfriend was, discover how we'd bring back the Fantastic Four, explore what's in our current pull-list, and reassign Stan and Jack to other comics properties. All this, and more, in our extra-sized 200th episode.

Hello, and welcome to episode 199 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

It's time to get to grips with the middle game. The middle of the game. The intermediary stage. Not the end, neither the beginning, but the all important middle. The. Middle. Game. It's Fantastic Four #156, featuring some of Rich Buckler's best panel layouts to date, and Roy Thomas and Len Wein playing some great games with exactly who's perspective is driving the story.

We're joined by Tom Harris, host of Radio Free Asgard, to revisit his first ever Fantastic Four issue. Doctor Doom is manipulating the Silver Surfer, the Reavers are eyeing up the equipment in the torture chamber, there's LSD in the Negative Zone, and a free binder with part one.

Three Wise Men And A Ghost Rider

Hello, and welcome to episode 198 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

In a last-minute change to our schedule, we're celebrating Christmas early with Marvel Two-in-One #8. Three Wise Men are following yonder star, Wyatt Wingfoot's got no room in the inn, and a flaming-headed demonic stunt rider is wondering just why all of this is happening in Arizona! A shadow, powerful figure is looming - is it the Collector? Is it God? Or is it someone far, far worse?

Steve Gerber, Sal Buscema and Mike Esposito present a Ghost Rider/Thing team-up of quite literally biblical proportions, with an extra dash of exploding Christmas tree, a sprinkle of astronomical anomaly, and a serving of egg nog.

Suspiciously Unsolid Wall

Hello, and welcome to episode 197 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

In an unusual move, we're throwing our regular titles to the side, and spending this week in the weird world of Marvel's premier non-team, The Defenders. Issue 20 brings to a conclusion the plot line involving the harmonica, the Valkyrie and Destiny that has been running through the last two issues of Marvel Two-in-One, and because The Thing is along for the ride, we are too.

Guided by the hands of Steve Gerber, Sal Buscema and Vince Coletta, we follow The Thing, Valkyrie, Doctor Strange and Nighthawk into the town of Cobbler's Roost, where great old ones are waiting to burst into our dimension, trapdoors are waiting to be sprung, harmonicas are waiting to be blown, husbands are waiting to be revealed, and plots are waiting to be wrapped up. Not all of these things actually happen in this book...

Multiple Multiplying Madroxes Make Merry Mayhem

Hello, and welcome to episode 196 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

It's our final excursion into the world of Giant-Size Fantastic Four, with the fourth issue of the oversized not-quite-an-annual. Of all the issues, this is the one with the most impact on the Marvel Universe, as it introduces one of the most enduring secondary X-Men of all - Jamie Madrox, The Multiple Man.

Len Wein, Chris Claremont, John Buscema and Joe Sinnott present an unusual tale with no clear villain, the Thing in a pimp suit, the closest Professor X has got to actual criminal neglect of a minor, and the first appearance of Peregrine Namath - Sports Player!

The Barry van Dyke Of Podcasting

Hello, and welcome to episode 195 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

This week, we're spending more than 10 minutes covering an issue of The Fantastic Four, as we cover Fantastic Four #155. It's the first full issue from incoming writer (and Editor-in-Chief) Len Wein. It's a welcome return for the Silver Surfer, featuring in a story which draws inspiration from across the spectrum of Silver Surfer stories, from his solo series to his appearances in the Defenders, and back to his original appearances in the Fantastic Four.

It's not just a good story that revives the previously-flagging FF title. Rich Buckler is on fire, providing a combination of great pencils and innovative page layouts, with Joe Sinnott providing excellent inks, although that's pretty much the norm for him. Could this be the start of a great run on the Fantastic Four? Let's find out...

Post-Apocalyptic Slapstick

Hello, and welcome to episode 194 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

This week, we're returning to the fertile lands of Marvel Two-In-One. The Valkyrie needs an origin, Destiny needs a harmonica, and Doctor Strange is on call to provide some ghostly exposition. Richard Burton is dead, and the Thing's under crackers are just wrong. Don't ask, just accept.

Making a welcome return to the show to help us through this issue is Stacey Taylor, of Stacey's Pop Culture Parlour. If you remember Stacey from her previous appearance on the show, you know what you're in for! And joining Stacey is a conicla-boobed bird on a Pegasus, some existential tooting, and a whole bunch of folks doing the Defenders Mash (it was a podcast smash).

A Team-Up With A Team-Up

Hello, and welcome to episode 193 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

This week on the show, we're packing them in with coverage of two complete issues. First up is The Man In The Mystery Mask, presented in Fantastic Four #154, in which the dreaded deadline doom catches up with Len Wein before his run has even begun, and a panicking bullpen reprint Strange Tales #127. Thankfully, we skip the stuff we've covered before (check out episode 37 for fuller coverage), which allows us to get straight on to the next issue.

And what an issue that is Marvel Team-Up #29 - Beware The Coming Of Infinitus, or, How Can You Stop The Reincarnated Man? Yes, this issue has a title for each hero. You'll find Iron Man being a massive tool, Vince Colletta back on inks, and the unlikely sight of Johnny Storm conducting heavy-duty academic research.

Hello, and welcome to episode 192 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

What is it with creative teams changing mid-story? From Kirby to Romita Sr, and Lee to Goodwin, it seems that more creators have switched out without completing their stories than there should be for the FF. Fantastic Four #153 is no exception, as Tony Isabella steps up to complete Gerry Conway's plotline, and I think it's fair to say that in the case of this particular story, it's a pretty thankless task.

With Machus and Femizon converging, it's clear that worlds will die, worlds will live, and pretty much everything will be the same. Only this time there's some muddled plotting, some incredible trousers, and a really uncomfortable ending that has to be read to be believed. Strap in folks, we're bringing the saga of Mahkizmo to a conclusion.

On another note, we're seeking your questions and queries for our 200th episode - send them in via e-mail, and we'll answer them as part of our bicentennial celebration!

Is... Is That Stalin?

Hello, and welcome to episode 191 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

If there's something' strange in your neighbourhood, who you gonna call? Doctor Strange! Especially if the something' strange is an exploding manifestation of Destiny in a subway station, touching the lives of a myriad of New Yorkers. Threats for the Thing and Doctor Strange to overcome include faceless ones and a giant rat, which sounds like Steve Gerber has been raiding Doctor Who plots for this issue.

Joining us is comics writer and long-time Fantastic Four fan Ryan O'Sullivan, who took a break from preparing his webcomic Turncoat for publication to help us work our way through this issue. Together, we uncover the secret history of Ben Grimm, and find out just what happens when Doctor Strange cooks.

Ryan's webcomic Turncoat, with art by Plaid Klaus, can be found at http://turncoatcomic.com, and the collected edition will be in stores in September. Follow him on twitter, where he is @ryanosullivan

Hello, and welcome to episode 190 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

It's time to go giant-size once again, as we get to grips with the epic storytelling on display in Giant-Size Fantastic Four #3. Ancient beings return to Earth, equipped with innate abilities to hasten the destruction of humanity, and only the Fantastic Four can do something about it. That is, of course, assuming that they can survive the coma-pox!

It's a story that truly deserves the title 'giant-size', brought to us by Gerry Conway, Marv Wolfman, Rich Buckler, Joe Sinnott, and an uncredited George Perez. It's packed full of detailed art, contemporary references, subtle morality, and a highly confusing conclusion. All this, and we ban George RR Martin from listening to the show!

An Actual Ice-Cream Van

Hello, and welcome to episode 189 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

This week, we bid a fond farewell to Gerry Conway with Fantastic Four #152, his last regular issue. Thundra and the team are lost in a nightmarish, hyper-masculine future. Rich Buckler's taking on too much work, and Reed Richards has the wrong number of appendages. As it turns out, not only is this Conway's final issue, but it's not even the conclusion to the story, and it's one of the most notorious rushed comics.

We're also activating our childish-snigger circuits as we get to grips with Giant-Size Man-Thing #2, by Steve Gerber, John Buscema and Klaus Janson. As well as this, we're talking about San Diego Comic-Con, celebrating some new equipment, celebrating the release of something long-lost, and getting interrupted by an actual ice-cream van. It's a packed episode of The Fantasticast, so why are you reading this? Get listening!

The Cockamamie Fan Club

Hello, and welcome to episode 188 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

With Spider-Man taking a month off, the Johnny Storm steps up to lead this issue of Marvel Team-Up, joining forces with the God of Thunder to investigate a Hawaiian volcano and a set of fiery bootprints, as both a forgettable Avengers storyline and a forgettable Marvel Team-Up plot get a follow-up. It's Thor and the Human Torch against the Lava Men in the abandoned kingdom of the Mole Man!

As if all of this doesn't excite you enough, we can also promise you a moloid with a six pack, and a hard-hitting investigation into the medical ethics of Donald Blake, MD. It's these kind of shenanigans that make the podcast what it is - almost the best Fantastic Four podcast on the internet!

A Wombful Of Wombats

Hello, and welcome to episode 187 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

This week is another double-comic episode. We start with Avengers #128, which sees the Fantastic Four's now-redundant nanny Agatha Harkness head take up a new position as the Defence Against Dark Arts teacher for the Avengers. Following this, we peer into the pages of Fantastic Four #151, as Gerry Conway starts his final Fantastic Four story by revealing the origin of Thundra.

This does, however, mean that we also get the first appearance of the walking manifestation of brutish masculinity, Mahkizmo. It's a battle of the sexes with the entire (possible) future of the Earth hanging in the balance. Can this issue carefully walk the line between comment and crassness? Find out in this week's episode!

We are live on Stacey Taylor's 24 Hour Pop Culture Parlour Podcast at 10am BST, Saturday 9th July. Listen to the show at http://mixlr.com/spcp-live/

Twatted By Ultron

Hello, and welcome to episode 185 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

This week, wedding bells are ringing, celebrations are in the air, and everyone wants to kill each other. It's another Marvel wedding, as Quicksilver and Crystal prepare to spend the rest of their lives with each other. Such a momentous event couldn't be contained in one comic alone, so this week, we're looking at Avengers #127 and Fantastic Four #150.

Steve Engelhart, Gerry Conway, Sal Buscema and Rich Buckler present the return of Ultron and Omega, a revolution by the Alpha Primitives, a petulant Ben who just won't wear a damn cloak, the sudden return of Agatha Harkness, and the next momentous event in the life of Franklin Richards. Grab your confetti and take your seats. Now, are you with the bride or the groom?

Honky-Tonk Badoon-Ba-Donk

Hello, and welcome to episode 185 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

This week, we're returning to the year 3014AD, as The Thing, Captain America and Sharon Carter attempt to overthrow the Badoon occupation of Earth. But they can't do it alone - they need the aid of the Guardians of the Galaxy (Classic Edition). And we can't do it alone either - we need the aid of Al Kennedy, of House to Astonish!

Together, we're serving up some super-sized scrutiny of the work of Steve Gerber and Sal Buscema. We offer some of the best Ben Grimm impersonations ever heard, encounter some Churlish Haters of Ol' Marvel, and encounter a wolf in a snood. As an extra bonus, Al gets us both to shut up for a few minutes whilst he explains why the classic Guardians are awesome, although it's entirely possible that this comic needed to listen as well.

I'm The General... Whee!

Hello, and welcome to episode 184 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

This week, Steve and Andy are tackling something a little... bigger than usual. It's the second/first issue of Giant Size Fantastic Four (blame title changes for the lack of certainty), in which another accidental activation of Doctor Doom's time platform threatens to unravel human evolution because George Washington fell off his horse. It's probably best not to wonder how...

It's the return of John Buscema to the Fantastic Four, along with Chic Stone as inker, a pairing that produces unusual results. We've also got some carefully-timed exposition, the entirety of Medusa's face, Reed and Ben mugging some revolutionary soldiers, and Marlon Brando as... The Watcher!